The Golden Ticket Frenzy
by suburbantimewaster
Summary: When Scarlett Rivera's childhood friend, Willy Wonka, calls her about The Golden Ticket Contest, it's up to her to not only advertise it but keep an eye out for the winners. Meanwhile, her mooching brother, Ken, is in town and needs a place to stay. Can Scarlett help Willy keep track of the contest while dealing with her family issues?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ 2005 version of Scarlett. She's a little different from 1971 Scarlett. I'd like to thank Mircosedy for PMing with me about _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ and kaafan10 from deviantart for role-playing it with me and rekindling my interest in Willy Wonka. I'd also like to thank my beta-reader who helped me rewrite this chapter. If you recognize it from the movie, I don't own it.

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><p>Scarlett Rivera woke up to the sound of her cell phone playing a MIDI file of "Numb" by Linkin Park. She buried her face deeper into her pillow and threw the covers over her head, hoping that whoever was calling would stop. Her head was aching with a hangover the size of Texas, and the ringing was only making the pain worse. Scarlett looked at her digital alarm clock and saw that it was six in the morning. As a freelance artist, she had many clients but only one of them was audacious enough to call her at this hour— and he was her biggest client yet.<p>

Scarlett answered her phone. "Willy, do you have any idea what time it is?" she asked groggily, in her smooth, southern accent.

"Hey! How'd ya know it was me?" Willy asked.

"Because normal people wait until the afternoon before they disturb their friends," Scarlett told him with a groan. "What do you want?"

"There's a problem that's not my problem," Willy giggled, and then went on excitedly, "Rise and shine, Scarlett. I've got big news!"

"Later," Scarlett said and hung up the phone, opened the top drawer of her night stand and threw it in there, slamming the drawer shut. Then she threw the covers over her pounding head and went back to sleep. Well, she would have, if her phone hadn't started ringing again.

Scarlett opened the drawer and answered her phone as she put her left hand on her head, feeling the pounding get worse.

"Scarlett, I said 'rise and shine'," Willy said irritably. "I've got big news."

"Fine, Willy. What is it?" Scarlett asked, exasperated.

"Nuh uh. No way. I'm not saying over the phone," Willy responded in his 'I've got a secret' tone. "Bugs bug me, and airwaves are worse. Come to the Factory."

Scarlett groaned under her wooden headboard that had a painting of "Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh—a copy, since there was no way in hell Scarlett could afford the original, right above it. To the left of her bed was a brown, wooden night stand with a desk lamp on top of it. _Beneath the headboard, Scarlett lifted her red comforter, with its flower designs, and got out of her queen sized bed._

Scarlett's feet touched the plush, white carpet that matched the white walls. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she looked towards the closed window, with its blinds shut, that overlooked the street below her penthouse apartment. A laundry hamper stood in the right hand corner, almost full with dirty clothes. Scarlett made a mental note to do some laundry when she could.

Right across from her bed was a dresser that was the same brown wood as the night stand, its surface covered by a jewelry box, a huge collection of books, and her iPod mini, being charged at the very edge. A mirror connected to the dresser, showing Scarlett's reflection perfectly: her thick, flaming red hair was sticking out all over; her heart-shaped face was slightly puffy, and felt a little oily; bags were clearly visible around her almond-shaped, emerald-green eyes; and barefoot, she was wearing a light blue shirt with a picture of Spock on it and a pair of loose gray shorts.

Scarlett always did look like a train wreck when she first got up.

"All right, just give me a few minutes and I'll be there," Scarlett told him as she switched the light on, and went to the living room.

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><p>White walls surrounded the living room's walnut floor. The couch was dark brown, covered by a white slipcover, with two red pillows, one on each side, and one white pillow in the middle. Her television set was a large, silver flat screen, with a Tivo box underneath it, and a silver DVD player beside it. Beside that was a black shelf of DVDs, including Star Trek, Harry Potter, and Dangerous Liaisons. Between the TV and the couch was a light brown wooden coffee table with dark brown legs. On the coffee table stood two empty wine glasses, along with a few Wonka candy bar wrappers; mementos of last night's handsome visitor, whose name Scarlett didn't remember.<p>

An elliptical stood beside the couch and faced the TV. Various paintings decorated the walls: the "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo Da Vinci (again, a copy), Van Gogh's "Cafe Terrace at Night" (another copy), a painting Scarlett bought at an art fair depicting the ocean depths and its various wildlife, such as the blue whale, and the clown fish, and another painting purchased from an art fair showing a Greek forest, with a beautiful half naked-woman, the nymph Echo, longing for the gorgeous man, Narcissus, as he gazed lovingly at his reflection in a pond. A couple of windows overlooked the city, with a few potted plants lining the windowsills.

"You're not going back to bed, are you?" Willy asked suspiciously.

"Of course not," Scarlett told him, her voice sounding far more awake than earlier. "I'm just going to drink a Prairie Oyster, make myself an espresso, get dressed and then I'll drive over."

"In that order?"

"Yes. Why?"

"You need a Prairie Oyster?" Willy asked slyly, and then raised his voice. "Are you HUNGOVER?"

Scarlett put her hand to her head, her skull screaming. "Yes," Scarlett told him firmly.

"Silly girl," said Willy, softening his voice. "Hey. Ya know what'd be really neat? Me making a candy that'd let you drink all you want, without any nasty side-effects."

"Yeah, you let me know how that works out," Scarlett said apathetically, and then felt a surge of energy come over her. "Wait a minute, what?"

"No, really. I'm serious- no hangover, no headache, no heaving, no salmonella poisoning," Willy told her, making sure to keep his voice soft.

"You do realize there's no way MADD would let you put that product on the market," Scarlett told him as she turned the light off in the living room and went to the kitchen, turning the light on there.

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><p>The kitchen also had a wooden floor, and many wooden cabinets on the right hand wall. A silver refrigerator with a small freezer compartment on top of it leaned on the wall in front of Scarlett. Right next to it were two sets of wooden drawers, with an oven and stove between them. The wooden drawers on the right had an espresso machine and a can of sugar on the counter above them. The wooden drawers on the left had two canisters, one of salt and one of pepper, a coffee machine, and a bottle of olive oil on the counter above them. In the middle of the kitchen was an island counter with a built in sink, filled with dirty dishes. A cabinet was right below the sink, with a white dishwasher to the left of it. In the left hand corner of the room was a wooden table surrounded by four wooden chairs, with a vase of artificial red roses in the center.<p>

"Who's MADD?" Willy asked. "I'm not."

"Mothers Against Drunk Driving," Scarlett explained as she removed an egg carton from the refrigerator. "And, if you market a product like that, I guarantee you'll have another lawsuit on your hands," Scarlett said as she took a wine glass from the cabinet, and placed it on the counter. "Remember the guys who tried to sue you because they claimed your chocolate made them fat?"

Willy gave a high pitched laugh. "Of course I do. But their claims were fatuous," Willy said, in that happy tone that he always used when he was talking about fools.

Scarlett laughed as she took Tabasco sauce from the cabinet and placed it next to the wine glass. She took a bottle of Worcestershire sauce and placed it on the counter next to the wine glass as she remembered that ridiculous lawsuit and how it inspired Willy to create a chocolate that burns fat. Scarlett made a mental note to ask Willy how progress was going on that when she visited the factory.

"The point is, you don't want to invite more trouble," Scarlett told him as she took the two shakers of salt and pepper and placed them on the counter next to the wine glass. "Especially if you want to go through with this big plan of yours."

"The point is, hangovers are their own reward," snapped Willy, miffed at Scarlett's unasked for council. "Why should I spoil that? I'd never make such a thing." He paused. "Except for my friends. My friends not operating heavy machinery, that is."

"Then I hope I stay your friend," sighed Scarlett, thinking from Willy's tone she may have overstepped. "Because this hangover is killing me. I'd love to talk more, but I really have to go."

"Okay. How fast ya gettin' here?" Willy asked.

"I still have to make an espresso and get dressed, so it will be a while," Scarlett told him.

"There's a coffee shop in your building," Willy told her. "Can't you just get dressed, get an espresso from there and get to the factory?"

Willy's idea clicked in Scarlett's head. "Well, I didn't think of that, now did I," Scarlett told him, feeling really stupid.

"You forgot that there was a coffee shop in your building?" Willy asked in disbelief.

"You got me up at six in the morning," Scarlett said irritably. "So forgive me if I'm not at the top of my game."

"Well, I wasn't about to wait until noon," Willy defended as Scarlett heard a loud explosion on the other end of the phone. "Gotta go—, just get here."

"All right, bye," Scarlett said, and then hung up the phone, placing it on the counter next to the espresso machine.

Scarlett cracked the egg in the glass, careful to leave the yolk unbroken, thinking about how she first met Willy Wonka. It was just a nice little park in Texas and his family was on vacation. She was drawing the scenery and he was looking over her shoulder to see what she was doing. Scarlett dosed the yolk with a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce as she remembered how he apologized, and shyly told her that it was a beautiful drawing. Then Scarlett smiled as she sprinkled salt and pepper and two dashes of Tabasco sauce in the glass. "Who would've thought that shy little boy would grow up to run his own chocolate empire?" Scarlett muttered to herself as she raised her glass, smelling the raw egg mixed with the spicy ingredients.

Scarlett downed the contents in one gulp, and gagged at what felt like a huge ball of spicy snot, running down her throat. Her headache decreased to a dull throb as she placed the empty glass down, and went to get dressed.

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><p>A while later, Scarlett took a look at herself in the mirror and smiled. Her lustrous red hair fell slightly past her shoulders, in loose natural waves. Her heart-shaped face was powdered in blush and eye shadow that was the same color as her skin, slightly pale, hiding her few flaws perfectly. She wore a blood-red tank top that displayed a bit of her buxom cleavage, along with a pair of black jeans that outlined the curves of her hourglass figure divinely. A pair of black combat boots finished the look off.<p>

Scarlett was a complete knockout, and, if she ever forgot it, there were always plenty of men who would remind her. Willy Wonka was not one of them. She grabbed a black leather jacket from her closet and put it on, not even bothering to zip it up, along with her red and silver striped helmet with a black visor and left to meet Willy, wondering what news he would have that could possibly be so important.

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><p>AN: **Attention! Scarlett Rivera 2005 now has her own Tumblr account! The link can be found here (scarlettrivera2005 . tumblr . com). Make sure to remove the spaces. **Anyway, I've been using Azaleas Dolls to create my OCs. Since Azaleas Dolls is a dollmaking game, it's not a perfect creation of them. So, imagine my characters how you want to and don't let my creations ruin them. Also, when I get a random plot bunny, I like to write the first chapter out, find a beta-reader and then continue the story after serious re-editing of the first chapter. The Prairie Oyster came from _Cowboy Bebop_, and the reference about people trying to sue Willy Wonka for his chocolate making them fat came from a similar case with McDonalds. Last but not least, this fanfic takes place in the summer of 2004. I'm well aware that the movie was released in 2005, but the Golden Ticket winners didn't get to go to the factory until February 1st, and I'm sure this took a great deal of planning.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm back with the second chapter. I'd like to thank Mircosedy and LinkWonka88 for reviewing. This story's not as popular as _Unexpected_, but still fun to write. In answer to LinkWonka 88, not only have I seen _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_, I grew up on it. Let me put it this way, when other girls wanted to be princesses, I wanted to be a vampire slayer. However, next time you have a hangover, a Prairie Oyster wouldn't be a good idea. Just drink a ton of water before bed— that's what I do. I'd also like to thank my beta-reader. If you recognize it from the Wonka community, I don't own it. I came up with a new idea and edited the first chapter accordingly. Just read the very last paragraph of it before you read this one.

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><p>Her long tresses trapped by her helmet, Scarlett sped along the highway on her Harley-Davidson, enjoying the rush. She did have a car for other occasions, but to Scarlett, this was the best way to get around. There was nothing more exhilarating than letting the scenery fly by, while taking in all the sights, sounds, and scents of the route. With no windows or pillars blocking her view, the sky was the limit. Scarlett got so into her ride, she wasn't even paying attention to where she was going; it was as if the motorcycle were guiding her, and all she had to do was become one with it. Or it could be that she went to visit Willy's factory so often, she knew the route by heart.<p>

Scarlett parked at the back of the factory, and knocked on the large door. She waited until the slit in front of her opened to reveal a pair of beady eyes staring back at her.

"I'm here to see the Wizard," Scarlett remarked.

The Oompa-Loompa closed the slit, and opened the door a few minutes later, revealing a long, dark red corridor, with a step ladder to the side. Scarlett turned around to see the Oompa-Loompa hanging in the air and holding the doorknob.

"Need any help getting down?" she asked.

The Oompa-Loompa shook his head and dropped on the ground, landing gracefully on his feet. Scarlett took her jacket and helmet off, threw them both on the floor, and continued down the corridor. With its long hallways and twists and turns, the place was a maze. Thankfully, Scarlett knew Willy's factory like the back of her hand, and easily made her way to the Chocolate Room.

Scarlett took in the sights of the room: the chocolate waterfall, with its flowing river; the grass that tasted of mint; the trees and bushes that were made out of pure candy. She closed her eyes and let her nose take in the intoxicating aroma. Maybe just one blade of swudge wouldn't hurt.

"Hi, Scarlett," a high voice Scarlett recognized as Willy's said, interrupting her thoughts.

Scarlett jolted back to reality and turned to face Willy. "How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that?"

"Evidently, not enough times to make a difference," Willy said. "And walking is not sneaking."

"When you startle someone, it's sneaking," Scarlett stated.

"It's not my fault you're amazed every time you walk in here."

"You're the one who had to make the room so beautiful," Scarlett said, as she bent down and picked a blade of swudge. "You could've just settled for the chocolate waterfall, but no, you had to go all out."

Willy laughed gleefully. "Just the river by itself would be boring. You know that. And you'd think by now, you'd be used to it."

"And take you for granted?" Scarlett said in disbelief. "Not in this life."

As she sucked on the blade of swudge, savoring the minty taste in her mouth, Willy smiled at her.

"So, what did you call me here for?" Scarlett asked.

"Are you hungry?" Willy asked, as four Oompa-Loompas landed a small pink boat on the shore. It was only slightly larger than a canoe, with benches for the Oompa-Loompas rowing it, and two others, staggered in height.

"Considering that I didn't eat anything before coming here, yeah," Scarlett said, boarding the boat. "So, what's this about?"

"I'll tell you during breakfast, Lette. Let's go!" Willy said, using her childhood nickname.

"So, you wake me up at six in the morning, tell me to rush right over, and then make me wait for the news," Scarlett summarized, looking at her surroundings as the Oompa-Loompas' wooden oars dipped into the chocolate river. "If your factory wasn't so beautiful, I'd be really pis..." She caught herself. "Angry right now."

Willy just grinned.

As the Oompa-Loompas rowed, Scarlett relaxed on the bench above them and watched the scenery pass her by. The boat headed into a dark tunnel. Willy, from the top bench, immediately ordered the Oompa-Loompas to turn on the lights, as the ride became a roller coaster, and then the boat stopped at the Inventing Room.

In the room were the typical beakers and machines Scarlett expected to see, and something she didn't expect: a charred, deformed metal vat, surrounded by Oompa-Loompas holding fire extinguishers. There was also a not very nice smell.

"Ick! What's that horrid smell?" Scarlett wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"You noticed that?" Willy was moving toward the vat.

"Yeah," deadpanned Scarlett. "With my nose."

Willy sighed. "That's what left of the latest fat-burning chocolate batch."

Scarlett kept her distance. "The explosion I heard? Still not working, I take it?"

Willy shook his head. "The problem's not it's not not working. It's working too well. It burns the fat we put on top of it, and everything else to boot. Just look at my poor vat."

The Oompa-Loompas commiserated with him, as they all stood looking at the wreckage, dripping foam.

"Oh well," said Willy, turning away. "I'll get it yet. Just see if I don't. Come on!"

Willy led her to a door behind the great gum machine, and opened it to reveal a darkened corridor with a faint light at the end. They followed it to find an archway, leading to an indoor English garden, decorated with several exotic plants that gave off an intoxicating scent, that unlike the odor in the Inventing Room, Scarlett inhaled deeply. Despite their perfume, and Scarlett's hunger, she knew better than to pick the plants and start eating them.

In the corner were a few pink lights that reminded Scarlett of the Perry-Plum fairies. According to legend, Perry-Plum fairies were only seen by a lucky few, because they tended to appear only once a millennium, and, even then, only at night. At a distance, they looked like little balls of light, which reminded Scarlett of Tinkerbell, from _Peter Pan_, or Navi from _Ocarina of Time_.

Willy thought it would be fun to make glowing cotton candy figurines that resembled the mythical fairies, and put a few of them in the garden, because he thought they would be pretty. Scarlett, on the other hand, was inspired to paint pictures of what they might look like close up, and had done that.

In the middle of the garden was a table covered by a white, silk cloth. On the table were two plates, each with scrambled eggs, bacon, and chocolate chip pancakes; two cups, one with coffee, cream, and sugar, and the other with hot chocolate; and two glasses of orange juice. Several chairs surrounded the table, and Scarlett took one. Willy sat across from her.

"Willy, would you please pick a different seat?" Scarlett asked.

"Why?" Willy asked innocently.

Yeah, what _was_ wrong with Willy sitting across from her she thought, as she gazed into his deep, almond-shaped, violet eyes, in his abnormally pale face, with a few strands of his chin length, chocolate-brown hair falling in the way of his cheek? That thought made Scarlett realize exactly what was wrong with it. It didn't help that his black shirt and pants, along with his red frock coat, black top hat, and black boots were a brilliant contrast to his pale skin and dark hair, or that his hands were covered in lilac gloves. The cotton candy fairy lights fluttering among the leaves certainly weren't helping matters.

"Nothing, never mind," Scarlett said, as she took a bite of her food. "Anyway, what did you call me here for?"

Scarlett continued staring at her food, while Willy answered. "Yesterday, when I was getting my hair cut, I found a silver hair."

Scarlett scoffed. "You called me all the way over here because you're having a mid-life crisis?"

"Says the pot, calling the kettle black,'" Willy said, with a hint of anger.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Scarlett said defensively.

"True or false, you bought a motorbike because you felt old."

Scarlett stabbed the eggs with her fork, and met Willy's eyes with a vicious glare. "I bought that because I _like to go fast_."

With a nervous smile, Willy looked away from Scarlett's eyes and gulped. "Well, anyway, in that silver hair, I saw my life's work. When I die, there will be no one left to make delicious candies, no one left to look after the Oompa-Loompas. The Factory will die with me."

"Then you'll just have to not die," Scarlett suggested.

"Scarlett, I'm talking about my life's work, and you're cracking jokes!"

"I'm serious," Scarlett said, taking a bite of her eggs. "There's always the Wonka-Vite."

Wonka-Vite was a pill that de-aged the taker twenty years. Willy came across it by accident a few years ago, but it took over a hundred tries to get the pill exactly right, and the Oompa-Loompas nearly paid a great price for it. At least, that's what Willy told her. Scarlett was back in Texas dealing with family issues. She shuddered as she thought about how Willy had gone alone to Minusland, to rescue over a hundred Oompa-Loompas before the Gnoolies bit them, risking being bitten himself. Scarlett still felt guilty about not being there.

"They are far too valuable to waste on me," Willy said, shaking his head and waving his finger.

"Well, you can waste them on me when I get old. In the meantime, you're talking about leaving a chocolate factory with no one to run it when you die," Scarlett said, taking a sip of hot coffee. "I don't know about you, but I'd call that a waste."

"Yeah, but I think it would be better to just find a hair," Willy said, taking a bite out of his scrambled eggs and giggling. "Oh wait. Scratch that. I already did that. I mean, I should just find an heir."

"Okay, that could work," Scarlett acknowledged. "How do you plan to go about finding one? Have kids all around the world send in applications and go through each one?"

"No way! Do you have any idea how many boring letters I'd have to read through? Paperwork is nightmare enough," Willy said, and then snapped his fingers. "Unless, I have _you_ go through the applications. I'll invite the ones you pick to my Factory, with the promise of a lifetime's supply of chocolate!"

Scarlett paused.

"Well, what do you think?" Willy asked, taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

"Your plan is to make me go through all the boring applications, while you lure unsuspecting children to your factory with the promise of candy?" Scarlett said, taking a bite of her bacon. "Tell me, are you planning to pick up these children with a van?"

"Great idea!" Willy said gleefully. "No, I got better one!" Willy snapped his fingers. "I'll have a worldwide contest, and let the winners come to the Factory! Wouldn't that be fun?"

"With their parents?" Scarlett asked hopefully.

"Why would they need their p-p-," Willy began, gagging on the word "parents" the way Scarlett gagged on her Prairie Oyster.

"Because no parent would want their kids traveling to a strange location without adult supervision," Scarlett explained, taking another bite of her eggs. "Well, some parents would, but not very good ones."

"Are you saying my Factory is a strange location?"

"To them it is. You're not arguing about the adult supervision?"

"Naw. Thinking about it,_ I'm_ darn sure not gonna do it. So all right... but only one!" Willy said firmly, then changed his tone. "We'll pick the winners by putting a prize inside the chocolate bars for the children to find."

"What kind of prize?" Scarlett asked, taking a bite of her pancakes.

"Uh-uh-uh," Willy said, shaking his finger. "First, we figure out how many children. I was thinking ten."

"Ten?" Scarlett said confused. "I think seven might be better."

"Why seven?" Willy asked.

"Because seven's a lucky number," Scarlett explained. "There will be seven _Harry Potter _books—"

"How do you know?" Willy cut in.

"Pretty much everyone knows that. In the very first book, they said that Hogwarts has a seven year program, so—"

"So you don't know," Willy cut in.

"Will you stop interrupting, please? Forget I mentioned _Harry Potter_. We can count them up when the series ends, and see who's right. Now where was I—"

"Hogwarts," laughed Willy.

Scarlett brushed the comment aside, and plowed on, "The _Star Trek_ spinoffs usually last seven seasons, _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ lasted that long ... according to Christian belief, the Earth was created in six days and God rested on the seventh ... Then they're the seven deadly sins, and that creepy girl in _Ringu_ gave—,"

"Did you just say, 'the seven deadly sins'?" Willy said, as he jolted up.

Scarlett laughed nervously. "Yeah, that probably ain't the best argument for that number."

"I don't want the seven deadly sins in my Factory!" Willy exclaimed.

"Don't worry, there's only a ninety-nine percent chance of that happening," Scarlett said absentmindedly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Willy said, alarmed.

"I'm saying that ninety-nine percent of people are rotten," Scarlett said, confused. "I thought you knew that."

"Well," Willy said, laughing nervously. "Five isn't seven, so we'll go with five children. Whichever one's the least rotten, will be the winner."

"So, what do you want me to do?" Scarlett asked, taking a sip of her orange juice.

"Right now, I want you to spread the word. Tell them the great Willy Wonka is planning something, but don't say what. It'll drive the public crazy!" Willy exclaimed. "And you can design the prize I'll put in the chocolate bars."

"I don't know how all this is going to play out, but I do know one thing," Scarlett said, taking the last bite of her breakfast. "If y'all plan on inviting people here, you're gonna need a bigger boat."

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><p>AN: What did you think? The line about the boat came from _Jaws_ and the thing about the van was inspired by _The Big Bang Theory_. The Wonka-Vite was a reference to _Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator_, Roald Dalh's less popular sequel to _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_. The Perry-Plum Garden came from Jimmy-C-Lombardo from deviantart, who I'd like to thank for allowing me to use his idea, and the nickname for Scarlett came from PinkPrincessTaylor who is also from deviantart.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: If you recognize it from the Wonka community, I don't own it. I'd like to thank ashleydiana105 for favoriting and following and Linkwonka88 for reviewing. I'd also like to thank my beta-reader.

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><p>Scarlett parked her bike outside the candy shop and took her helmet off, leaving it on the seat of her bike. Willy wanted her to spread the word, and that was exactly what she was going to do. This would be the perfect place to start.<p>

Scarlett walked into the candy shop. Upon seeing her, the owner, Jack, smiled tightly.

"Hey, Jack," Scarlett said absentmindedly, as she looked through the newspapers and magazines on the display stands.

"Scarlett, what brings you in here?" Jack asked nervously.

"Just passing through," Scarlett said, as she looked through an art magazine.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Jack asked, straightening his hat, to keep his eye on her better.

"No, I'm just looking," Scarlett said, putting the art magazine back. "I know how much y'all hate it when people read through your stuff without buying anything."

Jack laughed nervously. "It's all right, steal away," Jack said, quickly adding in alarm, "N-not that I'm calling you a thief or anything! I mean, it's better to sample things before buying them!"

"Yeah, Jack, I got it."

Then she took out her phone, and dialed Maria's number.

"Hi, Lette," Maria's voice said.

"Hey, Maria," Scarlett greeted back. "How's business?"

"Same as usual," Maria told her. "Just got one customer who was afraid of needles."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," Maria said laughing. "The guy would calmly relax on the bedspread and then he'd jolt every time I tried to stick a needle in him."

"And yet the guy went to an acupuncturist," Scarlett remarked, amused.

"I finally had to tell him that I don't have to use needles if they make him uncomfortable," Maria explained. "But he had to act all macho tough guy and refuse which, if you ask me, just made him look even more pathetic."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "What is it with guys and their inability to show any sign of weakness?"

"You got me on that one," Maria responded. "So, what's been going on with you?"

"Well, you know my number one client, Willy Wonka?" Scarlett said innocently.

"You mean the guy whose fashion sense is still stuck in the Victorian Era?" Maria asked bitterly.

"Edwardian, and I think his style's unique," Scarlett told Maria defensively. "Anyway, he's got a huge thing going on that I really want to tell you about."

"So, what's the love of your life planning?" Maria asked teasingly.

Scarlett tensed up. "I'd rather tell you in person," Scarlett said, a little more irritably than she meant to sound. "In the mean time, how would you feel about a night on the town?"

"You mean dancing, boozing, and hot guys?"

"With you, is there any other kind of night?" Scarlett said with a smile.

"That's why you love me."

Scarlett laughed. "Okay, you got me there."

"So, where do you want to meet?"

"I was thinking someplace nice, like The Cherry," Scarlett said absentmindedly.

"All right, what time?" Maria answered.

Scarlett wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but Maria sounded a little bitter.

"How about seven?" Scarlett asked.

"Great, see you then."

Scarlett hung up the phone and saw the astonished look on Jack's face.

"Willy Wonka's planning something?" Jack said.

"Oh, you heard that?" Scarlett said apologetically, as she looked out the window.

"Scarlett, if you don't mind me asking," Jack said hesitantly, "what's Willy Wonka planning?"

Scarlett saw a young, brown haired boy gazing into the window with a hungry look in his eyes.

"Who's the kid?" Scarlett asked, as she watched him examine her motorcycle.

"What kid?"

"There's a boy outside looking over my bike and your store," Scarlett explained, folding her arms under her breasts.

"Oh, that kid," Jack said, crestfallen. "I've seen him linger outside the candy shop, but he never comes in."

"I wonder why, " Scarlett contemplated, as she took a Wonka bar from a nearby stand, and placed it on the counter. "I'd like to buy this, please."

"Sure," Jack said, ringing up the Wonka bar. "So, tell me, what's the great Willy Wonka planning?"

"Look, I'm really not supposed to talk about it," Scarlett said, hesitantly.

"Why? Is it top secret?" Jack asked, as Scarlett paid him.

"Well, he's planning a contest with a prize so valuable, it would be like you won the lottery," Scarlett said happily, and then put her hand over her mouth, shocked. "Oh my god, I can't believe I said that."

Scarlett took the Wonka bar, and gazed at Jack pleadingly. "Could you please forget I said anything about the contest? Oops, there I go again."

Scarlett giggled, amused by her farce.

"It's all right, Scarlett, I won't tell a soul," he said, as Scarlett walked to the door.

"Thank you, I knew I could count on you," Scarlett said, smiling at Jack as she opened the door and left the candy shop, whispering to herself right after she shut the door, "to tell everyone that walks in."

Scarlett got her phone from her purse and called Willy.

"Hey, Scarlett."

"Hey, Willy," Scarlett greeted. "Just wanted to tell you that phase one of the plan is complete."

The young boy's interest seemed to perk up when he heard Willy's name, but Scarlett pretended not to notice.

"Neato!" Willy exclaimed. "What's phase two?"

"Grab Maria and go to a night club," Scarlett explained, leaning against the wall.

"You mean the second part of your plan is to get wasted with the gossip queen?" Willy said bitterly.

"You mean Maria," Scarlett said in a warning tone. "She's my best friend, and perfect camouflage."

"Humph," sniffed Willy. "I thought I was your best friend."

Scarlett sighed, sorry she'd mention Maria at all. She'd have caught enough flack for the nightclub, alone, and she couldn't tell if Willy was kidding with her. "You're my best friend in the Factory and she's my best friend outside of it. I'm Kirk, you're Spock and she's McCoy."

"You are such a geek," Willy said in the same tone he always used when Scarlett made references to her interests. "There is no way I'm Spock." That sorted, he turned the subject back to what interested him. "Camouflage?"

"Camouflage, camouflage," Scarlett echoed back. "I'm spreading the word, without 'spreading the word'," Scarlett explained, brightly.

"Ah yes. You're going to accidentally 'let it slip' to the amazing gossip queen that the amazing Willy Wonka is throwing a contest, and then she'll blab to everyone in sight," Willy guessed. "Brilliant!"

"No, if I trusted Maria with a secret, she wouldn't tell anyone," Scarlett explained defensively. "Look, you know how Hollywood makes a big deal about a top secret movie production, and, somehow, an early version of the script gets leaked?"

"So your plan is to leak?"

"Yes, and phase two begins tonight."

"All right. Leak away, Lette," Willy said and then hung up the phone.

Scarlett put her phone in her purse and ran to her motorcycle. "Hey, kid!"

The boy turned to her, startled, and backed away.

Scarlett put a hand on her hip. "What's the deal? Trying to steal my bike?"

The young boy blushed. "No, Ma'am, I was just..."

Scarlett laughed. "Relax, kid, I was joking."

"So, you're not mad?" the boy asked, hesitantly.

"Of course not," Scarlett told him reassuringly. "Name's Scarlett Rivera, what's yours?"

"I'm Charlie Bucket, Ms. Rivera," the boy said politely.

Scarlett smiled. "Ain't no need to be formal, just call me Scarlett."

"Sure, Scarlett," Charlie said hesitantly, as if she would beat him for doing so, and then looked astonished. "Wait a minute, you're _the_ Scarlett Rivera?"

"The one and only," said Scarlett proudly.

"You're the artist employed by Willy Wonka!" Charlie exclaimed, forgetting his earlier shyness.

"Actually, I'm free lance," Scarlett told him, wondering how this boy had heard of her. "But Willy Wonka is my number one client."

"Really?!" Charlie said, grinning from ear to ear. "Have you been in his Factory? How does he come up with his ideas? Who are his workers? What's he like as a person?"

Scarlett laughed at the onslaught.

"So, I take it you're a fan of Mr. Wonka?" Scarlett said, amazed at how the boy had said all that in one breath.

Charlie blushed. "Yes, Ma'am, I mean Scarlett," Charlie said. "Not that your work isn't amazing, though."

"You've seen it?" Scarlett asked.

"Well, my class took a field trip to a local art gallery, and I thought your paintings were very pretty," Charlie explained, returning his attention to his shoes. "The tour guide said that you worked for Willy Wonka."

Even in the art world, Scarlett still lived in Willy's shadow. Well, he was a great connection, and an even greater friend.

"Thanks, Charlie," Scarlett said, smiling. "And, to answer your questions from earlier, I haven't been in his Factory, Willy just has a knack for making candy, like I do with my art, I don't know who his workers are, and he's a complete nut."

"I think he's brilliant," Charlie said.

"Yeah, he is."

"You just said he was a nut," Charlie said, confused.

"Exactly. He's brilliant, in a nutty, crazy way."

Charlie just kept staring at her. "So, you think he's crazy, and brilliant?"

"Yeah, but I'd rather _you_ just called him brilliant," Scarlett said, putting her helmet on. "The only one allowed to call him crazy is _me_."

Charlie laughed. "I understand. It was nice meeting you, Ms. Rivera."

"Again, call me Scarlett, and before I go—" Scarlett gave Charlie her Wonka bar. "A little present for Mr. Willy Wonka's number one fan."

"I'm sorry, I can't take this," Charlie told her, astonished. "It's yours."

"Go ahead, I've got plenty more of them at home," Scarlett told him.

Charlie took the bar, grinning at her like mad. "Thank you, Ma'am!"

"No prob," Scarlett said, as she started her motorcycle and took off.

Scarlett sped down the street thinking about Charlie. He seemed nice, and polite, but a little shy. He also appreciated Willy for his chocolate, something that many people took for granted. Yet Charlie also showed an appreciation for Scarlett's art outside of her work for Willy. Still, even the nicest people could hide the darkest secrets. Hm. All in all, Charlie was definitely someone Scarlett would keep her eye on.

* * *

><p>AN: So, what do you think? For fans of _Unexpected_, that is Maria Gonzalez that Scarlett was talking to.


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